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The best of 2012

With the new year almost upon us, ecb.co.uk salutes those who made their mark on the last 12 months.

Leader of the year - Alastair Cook

Thrust into the role of England Test captain earlier than many would have anticipated following Andrew Strauss’ surprise retirement in August, Cook responded to the additional responsibility with a sensational display on the tour of India.

The left-handed opener was already firmly established among England’s leading batsmen of all time, yet enhanced his reputation further by striking composed centuries in each of the first three five-day encounters at Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Although Pietersen’s spectacular 186 was central to England’s victory in Mumbai, the tourists were also grateful to a fine individual display from Monty Panesar.

The Sussex tweaker has not featured in a home Test since the 2009 Ashes, but excelled this year when called upon for England’s three Asian missions.

After picking up 16 wickets across three Tests in the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka, Panesar stepped up another level at the Wankhede Stadium.

His match return of 11-210 came courtesy of a delightful display of accurate left-arm spin bowling and demonstrated his continued value to England’s five-day team.

Tormentor of the year – Saeed Ajmal

England may have ended 2012 on a huge high with their Test series triumph in India, but things were rather different at the beginning of the year, when Saeed Ajmal led Pakistan to a 3-0 triumph in the UAE.

The wily off-spinner – surely one of the most likeable characters in the game – returned match figures of 10-97 in the first Test at Dubai and followed up that haul with seven more in each of the next two matches.

His success, together with that of Abdul Rehman, forced England to work harder than ever on their method against spin.

The uber-confident Barbadian, who had never previously made more than 27, displayed skill and no shortage of flair in dashing to 95 – the highest score by a Test number 11.

By the time he was dismissed, attempting to hook an Onions short ball, almost everyone in Edgbaston was willing him to reach three figures.

The Sir Donald Bradman award for prolific run-scoring by an Australian - Michael Clarke

It is not just England who will head into next year’s two Ashes series with a captain at the peak of his powers.

In his first full year as Australia's Test skipper, Clarke contributed 1,595 runs at a truly magnificent average of 106, with the aid of three double-hundreds and one triple-ton.

He now faces the challenge of succeeding where his predecessor Ricky Ponting failed on two successive occasions, by masterminding a successful Test tour of England.

With Ponting and Mike Hussey having now retired, Clarke’s individual performances will surely be a key factor.

The ‘If at first, you don’t succeed..’ award for persistence being rewarded – Nick Compton

Be honest now, how many of you imagined Nick Compton would be opening the batting on England’s tour of India?

At the start of 2012, the Somerset batsman was probably best known as the grandson of England legend Denis Compton.

Yet a tally of 1,494 first-class runs during the domestic summer, the majority of which came before the end of May, propelled the 29-year-old into contention for the international call-up he had craved for so long.

The retirement of Strauss saw Compton selected to face India and he rose to the challenge admirably, sharing a succession of healthy stands with Cook at the top of England’s order.

Having spent more than a decade on the county circuit, Compton was not going to waste his big opportunity.

He can be extremely proud of his initial efforts.

Celebration of the year - West Indies

The most joyous cricketing moment of 2012 surely came at Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium in October.